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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607001050023 | Juvenile Nonfiction | 398.2 DEMI | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
A clever fox shows how small creatures must live by their wits.
A boastful boar learns the hard way that pride invites calamity.
A wise dragon teaches that the more you know, the more you know there is to know.
Each of the fables in this collection about the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac contains a jewel of wisdom: while readers enjoy the amusing stories, they can ponder a universal truth.
With playful, richly colored illustrations, these tales are like fortune cookies: sweet treats with meaningful messages.
Author Notes
Demi is the author and illustrator of many books, including the picture-book biographies Buddha and The Dalai Lama . She has retold Chinese folktales in such books as The Empty Pot and The Donkey and the Rock . She lives in Carnation, Washington.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3Demi presents the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Within a decorated circle on the left side of each double-page spread is a brief fable, followed by an appropriate maxim. The right side has a matching circle devoted entirely to illustration; like its mate, it is set on a white background. A few of the pleasant, solidly retold fables are reminiscent of such staples as "The Rat's Daughter" and "See for Yourself." They appear not to be specifically drawn from Chinese literature. Demi's trademark illustrations, done with "traditional paints" and "a brush of one mouse whisker...for extremely delicate work," feature the animals and many celestial motifs, from constellations on the endpapers to stars and the phases of the moon. A useful book to have around, especially for the Chinese New Year, but not an essential purchase for most libraries.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this striking volume, Demi (The Empty Pot; The Firebird) introduces each of the Chinese zodiac's 12 animal symbols by retelling the fables associated with them. Her writing is succinct and witty, and the morals less familiar than Aesop's ("The more you know, the more you know there is to know"). Fittingly, the circle is the central design element here: the text of each brief entry is set within a ring filled with thematically linked images; circular illustrations on facing pages playfully-and very cleverly-interpret the narrative. Sophisticated yet accessible to youngsters, Demi's art displays a pleasing symmetry and an intriguingly varied scale, effectively balancing minute details and larger, more encompassing symbols. Adding to the book's visual allure is the copyright page's list of traditional ingredients the artist used in making her paints for this project, among them the sap of the rattan plant and pulverized oyster shells. Kids will also be interested to learn that Demi painted with a single mouse whisker for "extremely delicate work." Ages 4-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved